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Chapter 3: Briefing

(Castelia City Hospital, Unova.)

Serena Yvonne-Ketchum was pondering the whole situation. Her husband, Ash, was struggling to sleep while sitting on one the hospital's waiting room chairs to her left. To her right was her friend Rosa, Professor Alva's youngest daughter, who was asleep, but still had tears running out her eyes. Serena knew what she and Ash had signed up for by volunteering to help Professor Alva, but didn't think that what happened to his wife would be this bad. However, The Sylveon-Human Hybrid was determined to bring Professor Alva's eldest daughter home, as she knew what it was like to missing from her own family.

(Ash then waves his hand near Serena's right eye.)

"Hey." Said Ash quietly. "Struggling to sleep, Ash-kun? Eon?" Asked Serena. "Yeah, Sweetheart. I'm not really used to sleeping while sitting down." "This whole situation. It's so depressing. It must surely remind my parents of the day I was kidnapped. Sometimes I wonder what went on in my parents mind that day. But to actually see it happen, even it is to someone else, I can't help but imagine and worry." "Serena, I understand the situation is unpleasant, but we can't just worry. Reuniting Professor Alva's family is our top priority." "You're right, Ash. Eon."

(Hilbert then walks up to Ash and Serena.)

"I don't mean to comment on your personal matters, but I think it's amazing that you two would go out of your way to help my family. I also noticed how you took the time to comfort my sister." Said Hilbert. "Professor Alva and Rosa are dear friends of ours. Eon." Said Serena. "Forgive me for forgetting to introduce myself, my name is Hilbert, I'm Professor Alva's son. I'm also the current Unovan Champion. "I've heard of you. My name is Ash Ketchum, and this is my lovely wife, Serena Yvonne-Ketchum." Said Ash, Introducing himself and his wife to Hilbert. "I've heard of you two as well. It's nice to finally meet you, even though the current circumstances are less than ideal." Ash then nods. "The pleasure is ours."

(Serena's Rotom Phone then begins to ring.)

"Ash-kun, Mom's calling, I'm going away to take it. Eon." Said Serena. "Alright, Sweetheart." Said Ash. Serena then walks to another area of the waiting room and accepts the call. "Hello Mom." "Hello dear, how are you and Ash doing right now." Said Grace over the phone. "We're at Castelia City Hospital currently, comforting Professor Alva and Rosa. Eon. How are the twins?" "Charles put them to sleep for the night a few hours ago. They're absolute darlings. The way they move, play, and even cry. It's all so adorable." Serena then chuckles. "It's around 4:30 in the morning right now here in Unova." "That's funny. I'm preparing dinner for me and your father at the moment here in Alola." "Anyways, I have to go. The briefing will be in a few hours. Eon." "That's fine, it's always best to get some sleep before something big happens." "Bye Mom." "Bye dear, tell Ash I said hello." "I will. Eon."

(Serena then ends the call and heads back to Ash.)

"What happened, Sweetheart?" Asked Ash. "It was just mom wondering how we're doing and to let us know that the twins are okay. Eon." Said Serena. Ash then lets out a sigh. "That's good." "Congratulations on becoming parents by the way." Said Hilbert, chiming in. "Thank you Hilbert." "You're welcome, Serena. This whole thing is going to be a lot for everyone involved. I'm going to get my sister and girlfriend back safely, no matter the cost.

(Hilbert then pulls out an old photo.)

"Sometimes, I look at this photo when I'm in a bad mood, and it puts a smile on my face." Said Hilbert. Hilbert then shows a photo of Prof. Alva and his wife, Kaihaku, along with a younger Hilda, Hilbert, and Rosa, to Ash and Serena. "This was from 16 years ago. Me and Hilda were 8 and Rosa was 5. Even though dad had his responsibilities as a Professor, he always made time for mom and us. Which was why we were scared when he disappeared. This was the last photo we took before that happened." "I don't mean to be rude, but you say that Hilda's your older sister, but how was she seven along with you in the photo? Eon?" Said a confused Serena. "She is. By two and half minutes. Some families refer to the twin born first as the elder child. Some people can get confused by this, so I'm not bothered at all." Hilbert then looks up. "My girlfriend, Bianca, she was born a few months after us. She was always Hilda's best friend, but what I didn't know was that she always liked me as well. At first, I thought it was 'as a friend', but it soon became clear that it was more than that. And at around that time, I began to develop feelings for her. I remember Hilda's reaction when she found out that her dear little brother and her amiable best friend were dating each other." Hilbert then places his head down. "If anything terrible were to happen to them, I don't know if I'd forgive myself." Ash then places a hand on Hilbert's shoulder. "Hilbert, I know what it's like to worry for someone in a situation like this, don't forget that you're not alone." Said a consoling Ash. Hilbert then lets out a sigh. "Thank you Ash."

(Several Hours Later, At the International Police Global Headquarters)

Inside an elevator, Detective Mateus, Ash, Serena, Prof. Alva, Hilbert and Rosa, were heading to the floor, where the briefing was taking place. In such a tense situation, no one decided to say a word as they were going up the numerous floors. When they finally arrived at their floor, they saw a high-tech room filled with various technologies and tools helping those who were working on the case, at that moment a figure familiar to Mateus approached the group. "How have you been Mateus?" said the figure. "Not good Blake, a dear friend's wife is knocked unconscious and his eldest daughter is missing." Said Mateus. "I see you brought some people to help with the investigation." "I did. They wanted to help in any way they could." "It's nice to have help, Mateus. Especially on a case like this." "What do you mean, Blake?" "I'll explain everything in a bit. I just need you all to stay in this room for now." Blake then leads the group into a large room."

(A Few Minutes Later)

"Alright. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. But it's time to get down to business. As you all know, two days ago, Professor Alva's wife, Kaihaku, was found unconscious in her home, and his eldest daughter, Rosa, was nowhere to be found. The daughter of their next door neighbor, Bianca Lumina, was also reported missing. While this the first time we have seen a casualty on this case, this is, unfortunately, not the first kidnapping." Explained Blake. "Not the first?" Asked a confused Mateus. "Over the past few months different amounts of children from various regions have wound up missing and the circumstances involving their disappearances are, for lack of a better term, eerily similar." "I see." "Right now I want you, Ash, and Serena to head to the Lumina household to talk with Mr. Lumina and get his side of the story." "We'll head there right now, Blake." "You're the best at what you do, Mateus."

(One Hour Later, Lumina Household, Nuvema Town)

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried for my daughter." Said Mr. Lumina. "I understand. It's not unusual for a parent to worry about or for a missing child. If you're able to, can you tell me what happened two days ago?" asked Mateus. "Yes. I was leaving for work and saw Bianca just tidying up some things and doing some last minute checks and preparations while packing for the trip. I said bye to her, went to work, and thought all was well." Mateus noticed that Mr. Lumina was starting to hyperventilate. "Mr. Lumina! Take a deep breath or two and calm down. Feel free to take your time." "Thank you Detective. I was heading home for the night when I saw the lights out. I assumed that she was with Hilda and Kaihaku for the night. However, I saw her Emboar, Minccino, and Escavalier asleep on the floor with Bianca nowhere to be found. A few moments later I saw Hilbert panicking, he told me Kaihaku was injured and that Hilda was nowhere to be found as well." "In the days leading up to what happened, was there any sign of suspicion?" "No. If there was, Bianca would have let me known about it." "Alright. Do you recall someone outside of your social circle that your daughter was uncomfortable towards?" "No. I'm close with my daughter, if anything was unordinary, we would have communicated with each other about it." "What about the state of her Pokémon that night? Was there anything suspicious?" "They were asleep, I could easily tell that Sleep Powder was used." "Anything else you recall or feel comfortable sharing with us?" "No." "Alright then, thank you for taking the time to talk with us." "Detective, promise me that you'll bring my daughter home safe and sound." "Mr. Lumina, I've been a detective for 15 years. I've seen and worked on many cases where everything ended as well as we hoped. I've also seen and worked on cases where things took a turn for the worst. While I cannot make any promises, I will do everything in my power to bring your daughter home."

(Outside of the Lumina Household.)

Mateus is seen exiting the Lumina Household. "Did anything come up Detective? Eon?" Asked Serena. "He simply stated what happened two days ago and told me a few things about his daughter. Nothing much besides that." "I see." "It's a shame that this is happening to so many people." Said Ash. Mateus then places his hand on Ash's shoulder. "I know. But we'll get to the bottom of this. Let's head back to Castelia City. Mateus, Ash, and Serena then get in the car and head back to Castelia City to relay the information to Blake.

(One Hour Later, At the International Police Global Headquarters)

"So that's what Mr. Lumina said." Said Blake, hearing about the trio's visit to the Lumina household. "Yes. I don't if the information is enough to make any correlation." Said Mateus. "Pokémon asleep due to sleep powder, family members either away or asleep at the scene, multiple places or locations reporting missing persons. This is clearly connected with our case. The question is, how does our perpetrator do things in a manner so efficient, that catching him or her is seemingly impossible?" "Blake?" "Yes Mateus?" "Is it all right if I look at the data for the kidnappings in the case?" "How much of the data do you want to look at? "All of it." "All of it?" "Yes. I'll check if there are any similarities and discrepancies." "I know you're the best we've got Mateus, but may seem like too much even for you." "Not to worry, Blake. I've got a team of Pokémon who can help with this. I'll present my results as soon as I can." "Very well then. There's also one thing I should let you know." "What?" "Starting tomorrow, you'll be in charge of the case." "Me? In charge? Just now you were asking if it was too much to be looking at all the data." "Detective Mateus Cobalt, I have no doubts about you or your ability to solve this case. However, please don't overwork yourself while doing so." "I'll try not to, and I won't let you down Blake."

(Several Hours Later)

Mateus and some of his Pokémon were hard at work at his hotel room, carefully examining the data of each of the disappearances that happened over the past few months when he heard his Rotom Phone go off. "Hello?" Said Mateus. "Good Evening Detective, How's the data project going? Eon?" Said Serena over the phone. "Good. I'll present my findings as soon as I can." "That's good. Me and Ash are getting dinner and we're wondering if you want anything." "Oh no. I'm good. Thank you for the offer, though." "Alright then. Good Night. Eon." "Good Night." Mateus then ends the call and went back to examining. However, he began to notice something odd about the disappearances.

(Mateus then pulls up a map.)

"Wait a minute!" Shouted Mateus.

*End of Chapter 3*

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